


Not as Bulletproof as She Seems

by Haught_Damn



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: 1x13, Canon Compliant, Canon with a twist, F/F, Wayhaught - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-08
Updated: 2017-03-17
Packaged: 2018-09-15 19:43:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,133
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9253322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Haught_Damn/pseuds/Haught_Damn
Summary: What if Nicole was more than “just a little bit bruised” when Willa shot her?After Bobo’s revelation, a shaken Waverly seeks out her girlfriend for comfort, and finds herself in the middle of a nightmare she didn’t expect. Canon 1x13 with a twist.





	1. Breathless

**Author's Note:**

> When I was watching the season finale, live, I might add, after I was done having a heart attack over the fact that Nicole had been shot (DAMN that commercial break, but God BLESS that bulletproof vest), I was very interested in that little exchange between Waverly and Nicole at the end about Nicole not needing to go to the hospital. I know it was specifically said to signify that Nicole was fine and to move the story along to deal with Willa and everything else, but I’m always the person who goes “What if...?”. So, my mind naturally went to “What if she wasn’t actually fine?”, and this was the result. Follows canon except for that one small detail. Scenes are meant to be happening around what is shown in the season finale.

Nicole watched the two Earps quickly leave the station from where she was still lying on the floor. Waverly gave her one last meaningful look, locking eyes with her until she heard the front door to the police station slam behind Wynonna. Heels clicked rapidly down the hallway as she disappeared from view to hurry after her sister. The redhead let her head fall back to the hard tile of the station floor, still struggling to catch her breath. Damn, getting shot _hurt_. Despite the pain, a million different thoughts were running through Nicole’s head at once. For one, Willa Earp _royally_ sucked. Two, her girlfriend, yes her _girlfriend_ , was currently running off towards certain danger, without her. Three, had Waverly really said what she thought she said to persuade Wynonna to hand over Peacemaker? The brunette had whispered it to her older sister to where she couldn’t hear, but Nicole was fairly certain that she had read her lips correctly. Nervous energy bloomed in the pit of her stomach. Did Waverly really love her? They had only been dating for a short while. For Nicole, while she considered it early for her to say those three little words to the brunette, she couldn’t deny that being with Waverly was unlike any of her previous relationships. She had never felt this way about anyone before. She was pretty sure what that feeling was, but she had shied away from verbalizing it. She didn’t want to scare Waverly off. And while she didn’t doubt that the brunette cared for her very much, Nicole wasn’t totally sure if the younger girl felt the same way, at least not yet. Maybe she had realized that she needed to say something profound to get Wynonna to save the officer’s life. Then again, Waverly had grown up very conscious of the fact that life was short. Nicole had noticed that she almost never waited to say important things to people she cared about. Regardless of the brunette’s true intentions, a small smile crept over the redhead’s face, and the nervousness gave way to a warm, fuzzy feeling that spread all over her body. 

_Focus, Nicole!_

The officer mentally chastised herself. Now was not the time to fawn over her girlfriend. The 4-0-4 was still in effect. There was so much that needed to be done: everyone who had ingested the poison needed to be tended to, Willa needed to be taken down, but the primary goal right now was to secure the antidote hidden in Shorty’s from the demons, or as Wynonna called them, Revenants, that she finally knew for sure existed. Nicole quickly decided that she would be most useful there, fighting alongside Doc and Dolls, but first, she needed to get up off this floor. The redhead made to push herself up into a sitting position, gasping at the intense pain that immediately blossomed in her chest, black spots dotting her vision. Her entire upper torso felt tight, to the point where she almost passed out right there. Nicole quickly lowered herself back to the floor, trying to force air back into her lungs. 

After a few minutes had passed, she tried again, only to be met with the same results, plus with an added bonus of a bout of dizziness. Her back hit the cold tile again in defeat, her chest heaving. Even though she knew the bullet hadn’t pierced her vest, this was obviously not something she was going to just walk off. Nicole could only hope that the mayhem happening around her would calm down quickly, because it was pretty clear that she was not getting up by herself anytime soon. Someone would notice she was missing from the action and come looking for her. Either Doc, Dolls, the Earp sisters, hell, even _Nedley_ was bound to find her eventually. Nicole tried to make herself as comfortable as possible, groaning as pain once again radiated through her chest. 

_Must be one hell of a bruise._


	2. Lost

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about this chapter being so short, but I'm writing this one pretty quickly so the wait shouldn't be long. =)

_“Oh Waverly, you’re not even an Earp.”_

The words kept repeating themselves, running through Waverly’s mind as she made her way back to Purgatory from the treehouse. Her whole body felt numb, the last ten minutes burned into her mind, replaying over and over on an endless loop as she wrapped her thick coat tighter around her small frame. She arrived at a door. The Homestead. She didn’t even remember making the thirty minute walk to get here from the treehouse. Her body on autopilot, Waverly pushed the door open, making her way up to her room at the top of the stairs. She crossed the threshold, zeroing in on the warmth and safety of her bed, but a glance at herself in the mirror on her desk made her stop in her tracks. She moved closer to get a better look. She was still crying; she hadn’t even noticed. Fat tears fell from her eyes, red and puffy from her current emotional state as well as the cold, bringing her makeup with them down her cheeks. She was pale, her usual cheery expression was long gone, replaced with the haunted gaze of a girl who no longer knew who she was. She looked absolutely _awful_ , and to make matters worse, she was still wearing this damned dress.

Taking a deep breath, Waverly turned from the mirror, filled with the sudden urge to keep herself busy, to take her mind off of the chaos going on around her and what had just happened. Walking across the hall, she turned the water on in the shower and returned to her room while it warmed up. She shed her coat, removed her shoes, and very carefully inched herself out of her dress. Down to her strapless bra and underwear, the brunette returned to the mirror. She took the pins out of her hair, allowing it to fall and flow freely down her back as she reached for the makeup wipes on her desk. The tracks of mascara down her face were removed to expose the red blotches hidden underneath foundation and concealer, not that Waverly particularly cared. Her face now free of makeup, she began to remove the little jewelry she had on. First her earrings, and then her bracelet…no, not her bracelet.

_Nicole._

Fresh tears welled up in Waverly’s eyes at the thought of her girlfriend and all that they had been through in the past 24 hours because of Willa’s betrayal and her family’s curse. The brunette wanted nothing more than to be wrapped in the officer’s comforting embrace right now. She would go find her, after she cleaned herself up. Being in what Waverly assumed no condition to fight, she had probably gotten herself back to her apartment in the couple of hours since the incident at the police station. That’s where Waverly would go once she was done here. Solidifying her future plan of action, the brunette returned to the bathroom to find the shower hot and ready. She shed the rest of her clothing and stepped in, allowing the almost scalding spray to melt away the anguish and despair she felt in her heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading so far, I hope you're enjoying it! I upped this story to five chapters because it made more sense for me to break things up a bit. Comment if you want!


	3. Haught Hunting

Waverly emerged from the Homestead in a clean pair of jeans and a thick woolen sweater, fresh-faced with her still-damp hair out of the way in her typical side braid. She pulled on her puffer jacket and scarf as she braved the cold to get to her Jeep, quickly hopping in and immediately turning on the heat. Her mind briefly flashed to Wynonna, off hunting their sister, and while she was worried about her wellbeing, there was nothing that Waverly could do to help her at this point. What she _could_ do was find Nicole. The brunette needed to see the officer, to get wrapped up in her arms and lost in the reassuring scent of lavender and vanilla that seemed to envelop Waverly like a security blanket whenever she was near her. Despite her attempt to drown her sorrows in the shower, Waverly still felt lost. Now that Nicole knew the whole truth, she would know just what to say to keep her on the ground, to make her feel like she still belonged.

The drive into town was relatively uneventful. Waverly left the radio off, not really interested in listening to music at the moment. When she pulled into Nicole’s apartment complex, she immediately registered that the redhead’s cruiser was absent from its usual parking spot, but she brushed it off. The officer’s apartment was within reasonable walking distance from the station; Nicole left her car at work all the time. Waverly pulled her Jeep into the parking spot and cut the engine, quickly getting out of the car and walking to Nicole’s front door. It was locked, and probably for a good reason, given the hordes of poisoned townspeople that had been walking through the streets like zombies an hour earlier. She ran her hand under the windowsill next to the door, procuring the spare key the older girl left there for emergencies, and let herself in. 

“Nicole?” Waverly said, calling for her girlfriend. There was no answer. “Nic? It’s me. Wynonna went off to find Willa and I…well, I can’t really do anything for her.” The brunette stepped further into the room, her distress evident in her voice. “ Something happened…I need to talk to you…” Still no response. Face scrunched up in confusion, Waverly took off her boots and made her way through the main room of the apartment and the kitchen, quietly padding down the hallway to Nicole’s bedroom. She must be asleep. The officer was bound to be exhausted, what with getting shot and everything. Waverly gently pushed the door open, only to find the small room empty, the bed crisply made, just how Nicole did it every morning. Disappointed, she almost jumped out of her skin when a soft, warm ball of fur wound itself around and in between her legs, meowing loudly. She looked down to find Nicole’s cat glaring up at her, obviously upset.

“Hey there, CJ,” Waverly said, stooping down to stroke the ginger tabby’s ears. “Where’s your mama?” Calamity Jane, or CJ for short, stared back at the brunette, her green eyes glinting in the sunlight coming in between the blinds covering the lone window in the room. With a huff, she turned and walked straight into the kitchen. Waverly followed, stopping when the long haired feline sat down in front of the counter and looked back at her expectantly. She quickly understood why the cat was so agitated. Her food bowl was empty. This, coupled with the pristine bed, made Waverly immediately realize that not only was Nicole not here, but she hadn’t made it home at all. 

The brunette took several deep breaths, pushing the worry starting to build up in the back of her mind away. There were many reasons why Nicole might not have come back yet. She may have stayed behind to help Chrissy, who was still slumped in her father’s office the last time Waverly saw her. Speaking of Chrissy’s father, Nicole could have found Sheriff Nedley and was helping him deal with the people who had been poisoned. The final option that Waverly could think of, and perhaps the one that scared her the most, was that the redhead had made her way over to Shorty’s, ignoring the fact that she had just taken a bullet, to help Doc and Dolls fight the Revenants for the antidote. So many things were happening all at once that she could be wrapped up in any of them, but knowing Nicole, she probably wanted to be right in the middle of the action. 

_Shorty’s it is then._ Her destination decided, Waverly took the time to feed CJ before exiting the apartment, locking the door and placing the key back in its spot under the windowsill. She got back into her Jeep and was able to quickly drive down the abandoned streets of Purgatory and park at the station, noting that Nicole’s cruiser was indeed still there as she walked down the block to the local bar. As she approached the front doors, she noticed the shattered glass littering the pavement in front of the building, plus a large number of bullet holes in the walls. Despite the carnage, there was no noise coming from inside, so Waverly assumed the fight was over. One of the outer doors was slightly propped open, and the brunette hesitantly approached the entrance, trying to ignore the bright red blood trail leading away from the bar, stopping next to Dolls’ SUV, and then tracking back inside, not knowing what she was about to find. Peering through the opening, she saw that the inner doors to Shorty’s had been ripped clear off their hinges. Broken tables, chairs, and more glass covered the floor, as well as many spent ammunition casings. There were people everywhere, and many of them definitely weren’t Purgatory residents. 

_Black Badge._ The brunette scanned the room and quickly spotted Dolls sitting down on one of the few still intact barstools, his white dress shirt stained red from what appeared to be a bullet wound in his abdomen. _So that was where the blood probably came from._ He was talking animatedly with a blonde-haired woman in professional clothes, and she did not look happy. Doc was nowhere to be seen. With the arrival of the supernatural task force, he probably left to preserve his true identity and to help Wynonna. Waverly let out a small sigh of relief; odds were her sister was not alone. Looking over the room once more, she saw a dark blue shirt and the flash of tan uniform pants out of the corner of her eye. Her heart leapt into her throat, but Waverly’s hope died when she realized that it was not Nicole, but Nedley sitting in a chair near the back of the bar, looking much better than he had several hours prior. The worry once again blossomed in Waverly’s mind, running through her body like she had brushed against a live wire. The redhead was nowhere to be found. If both Dolls and Nedley were here, where the hell was Nicole?

It was in this moment that Dolls, momentarily released from his interrogation by who Waverly assumed to be his boss, Agent Lucado, happened to look across the room and make eye contact with her through the crack in the door. The Deputy Marshall’s eyes went wide with panic, and he slowly shook his head. While it was a simple gesture, Waverly got the message.

_Don’t come in here._

Waverly nodded that she understood, and Dolls visibly relaxed. As much as she wanted to help him, she was only a consultant. There was nothing she could say that would change Lucado’s mind about how she was going to handle the situation, and he was obviously trying to protect her from something. At least she could continue her search and maybe help Nicole with whatever she was up to. With two options for her girlfriend’s location down, there was only one left: the police station. Waverly had noticed that Chrissy had not been with her father at Shorty’s, it was entirely possible that the officer had helped her get to safety. The brunette turned to leave, looking back one more time at her friend. Her stomach dropped.

The last thing she saw was the Deputy Marshall following Lucado out the back door of the bar, his hands cuffed behind his back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The more I write, the more stuff keeps getting added to this story. Six chapters now, but I think that's the final number. Have a great weekend!


	4. Found

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Who is Waverly going to find at the police station?  
> Hint: exactly who you want it to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I bumped the rating up just because of language. Enjoy!

Shaken, Waverly made a beeline to the police station. She was desperate to see Nicole. Everything seemed to be falling apart; she needed just _one part_ of her life to be okay. She deserved that at least. Arriving at the door to the station, the brunette didn’t hesitate to walk right in and down the hallway, heading for Nedley’s office.

“Nicole?” Waverly called her girlfriend’s name as she neared the door to the squad room and the sheriff’s office. It was open, just like it had been when she had left earlier. “Nic-…Nicole?!” Waverly rounded the corner to enter the room…and found the officer right where she had left her, on her back on the floor. The brunette immediately registered that something wasn’t right. Nicole raised her head to see who was calling her name, her eyes unfocused, pain evident on her face. She was breathing heavily, almost wheezing, solely from the small task of looking up to see who was standing in the doorway.

“Waverly…” Nicole fell back against the tile with a groan as the brunette rushed to her side, taking her head in her hands as she looked her over with concern. “Something’s…wrong. I…I can’t breathe…”

“Shhhh,” Waverly sat down, trying not to freak out as she propped Nicole’s head up on her leg while grasping the redhead’s right hand. “Nic, I need you to tell me why you’re still on the floor.” She noted the difficulty with which the officer’s chest rose and fell. “Go slow.” She added. Nicole swallowed, licking her lips as dazed brown eyes met green.

“Couldn’t get up…by myself…Couldn’t move…My chest…feels like someone is…squeezin’ me so I can’t…catch my breath.” Despite the advice, Nicole was still talking too fast. Now that Waverly was here, she was starting to panic. She had the brunette’s hand in a death grip as she tried to calm down, forcing air into her lungs. A few tears fell from the corners of her eyes. Once her rhythm relaxed somewhat, she continued. “Everything hurts, Wave…”

Waverly ran her free hand through Nicole’s hair, trying to comfort her as she figured out what to do. She needed to make a decision, and fast. She briefly thought about trying to go find help, but then dismissed it. The vast majority of Purgatory’s residents were either incapacitated due to the poison or at the hospital already treating the afflicted. The lone few left, from what Waverly had seen, were either trying to save the world, trying to _destroy_ the world, or currently in handcuffs. She looked over her shoulder and peered through the open door and windows of Nedley’s office, finding the room where she had last seen Chrissy empty. Calling out for her, the brunette realized her friend was nowhere to be found. Waverly prayed that somehow her poison-addled brain had realized that she needed to leave the station and find some help, and due to her mental state she’d missed Nicole lying on the floor as she exited through the station’s main entrance. The explanation was completely possible given the circumstances. But she couldn’t dwell too much on whether or not Chrissy was okay; it was something that at this point was beyond her control. She needed to address the issue right in front of her. There was only one way she could think of to get more information about what was going on with Nicole, and the officer was definitely not going to like it.

“Baby,” the brunette tried to be as soothing as possible. “I need to get you to sit up so that I can take a look at your chest, okay?” Nicole’s eyes went wide, and she shook her head as emphatically as she could without making herself nauseous.

“I can’t…I’ve been trying to…move for hours…I’ll just pass out again.”

“I’m going to help you, I promise. It’s not going to feel good, but I need to be able to take your vest off.” Realizing that Waverly was right, Nicole nodded softly, extending her arms out and wrapping them around the brunette’s neck as she put her feet on either side of the taller girl’s legs to crouch over her. “I’m gonna lift you up and lean you against your desk, okay?” Waverly heard the redhead murmur a faint affirmative into her shoulder while she simultaneously pulled the smaller girl into a tighter embrace, preparing herself for what she was about to endure. 

“On the count of three, Nic. One, two, three…” Waverly gripped the undersides of Nicole’s legs as she straightened her back, pulling the officer into a sitting position and lifting her a couple of inches off the ground, moving to the left towards the desk a few feet away. She tried to go slowly so that she was being gentle, but also fast enough so that the transition was over as quickly as possible. Their positioning was awkward, plus Nicole was bigger and heavier than her, but it was the only way she could think of at the moment to move her without touching the other girl’s torso. She tried to ignore the muffled whimpers of pain as Nicole buried her face into the side of her neck, hanging on for dear life until Waverly set her back down to where she was propped up against the desk and the brunette was sitting across her lap. Once she was settled, the redhead continued to cling to her, hot tears bleeding into Waverly’s sweater as she tried to control her labored breathing. The whole process had taken less than fifteen seconds, but it was enough to remind Nicole why she had given up trying to move from the floor in the last hour or so.

“Shhhh, it’s okay.” Waverly detached the officer’s arms from around her neck. Nicole attempted to calm down, but to no avail. She felt like her chest was on fire. Intense pain shot through her entire upper body. She refused to make eye contact with her girlfriend, preferring instead to focus on the ceiling as she tried to force herself to stop crying, biting her lip to stifle the sobs threatening to escape from her mouth. Waverly cupped the officer’s face in her hands, forcing her gaze back down to her. “Nic, look at me.” The brunette brushed the tears away with her thumbs as they finally started to subside. “I know it hurts, but we’ve got to do this.” Nicole nodded and closed her eyes, bringing her hands up to grip Waverly’s forearms. She took a few forceful breaths, as deep as she could manage, and Waverly let out a small exhale that she hadn’t realized she had been holding once she felt the officer relax against the cool metal of the desk. She let Nicole’s hands drop to her sides, pressing a light kiss to her forehead as she carefully moved from her position across the redhead’s legs to kneel next to her. She then began the delicate task of removing Nicole’s jacket and uniform shirt, slowly working both pieces of fabric from the officer’s shoulders and down her arms, pulling them out from behind her and setting them aside. She undid both of the side straps of the bulletproof vest so that she could slip it easily over Nicole’s head without her having to move. All that was left was the form-fitting muscle tank that Nicole usually wore under her uniform.

“Just cut it off…” the officer said softly, jerking her head upwards towards the pair of scissors that were on her desk. The sudden fatigue in her voice alarmed Waverly, and she subsequently noticed that Nicole was growing increasingly pale. She quickly grabbed the scissors and straddled the other girl’s legs once again so that she could get a good look at her chest. She proceeded to cut up the side of the black material and across the seams at both shoulders so that the shirt fell away from Nicole’s body. The officer was now bare from the waist up save for her sports bra. Waverly drew in a sharp breath; she could’ve sworn her heart stopped.

“Oh my god…Nicole…”

The brunette’s voice broke, her hand immediately going to her mouth, which probably wasn’t a good idea since now Nicole could very obviously see that she was shaking. The officer looked down at herself to figure out why Waverly was starting to panic, her heavy-lidded eyes widening slightly as she scanned over her body.

“Well shit…”


	5. Stay with Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not gonna lie, this chapter is _LONG_. Not sure if it's a good thing or not, but I couldn't find a good spot to split it up. Anyways, hope this makes your Monday a little bit better.

In an instant, it felt like all the air had been sucked out of the room. Waverly can only stare, her gaze running over Nicole’s body in disbelief. She could very clearly make out where the bullet had struck the officer; a small ring of discolored skin sat right over her heart. Waverly would have taken the time to thank every god in existence for bulletproof vests if it weren’t for the rest of Nicole’s upper torso. A large bruise had blossomed over the redhead’s chest, surrounding the bullet’s point of impact and continuing downwards to disappear behind her sports bra and cover her ribcage. It was a deep, dark purple, almost black in color, and faded out into shades of red and yellow. Waverly cautiously moved off of Nicole’s legs to investigate further when she noticed that the bruising extended to her left side. She gently pushed on the officer’s shoulder to move her forward, her worst fears confirmed when a good portion of the upper half of Nicole’s back was also a marbled black and blue. 

“Is it bad?” Despite how lethargic she felt, the redhead stared at her earnestly, her gaze never leaving Waverly’s face, reading her reactions to figure out just how dire the situation was. What she found definitely did not quell her anxiety, especially since the brunette refused to answer her. “Wave?”

The other girl snapped out of her trance to finally acknowledge her girlfriend. She wasn’t a doctor, but she knew enough about blunt force injuries to have an idea about what was happening. Her hands were still shaking as they found Nicole’s, squeezing them tightly. She tried to force words to come out, but her mouth had gone dry. Finally, she cleared her throat and was able to speak. “Baby…I- I think you’re bleeding. Bad.” Nicole’s entire body went rigid. If she was bleeding internally, she’d been lying here for hours. Who knew how much damage had been done? Waverly’s head suddenly snapped up, eyeing the door to the hallway with determination. “We need to get you to the hospital. Now.” The brunette grabbed Nicole’s uniform shirt and carefully, but quickly put it on the officer so that when they got outside she at least wouldn’t freeze to death. “We’ve got to get to the car. It’s right next to your cruiser.”

“But Waverly…”

“Nic, I can’t carry you….“ The brunette’s voice shook slightly. “This is the only option we have.” The officer nodded as Waverly squatted down next to her, throwing Nicole’s left arm over her shoulder and grasping it with her left hand. The brunette settled her other hand at Nicole’s waist as she slowly helped her into a standing position. The redhead cried out, the pain engulfing her chest in white-hot agony. The edges of her vision blurred as she fought to stay conscious. She thought she was going to be sick. Gasping for air, her legs shook as she struggled to remain upright. Finally finding somewhat of an equilibrium, she turned to Waverly and nodded once, gritting her teeth as the smaller girl slowly started to lead them forward. The pair crossed the threshold of the door and were halfway down the hallway when Nicole felt the room start to spin. The officer groaned as the nausea overtook her, and she sent the both of them stumbling into the wall as she tried not to fall to her knees. Waverly could feel Nicole’s full weight sag against her. Her chest was heaving. It was very clear that the officer was fading fast. A jolt of panic shot through Waverly, to the point where suddenly she felt like she could run a marathon. Adrenaline coursing through her veins, the brunette got a good hold on Nicole and pressed forward, half carrying, half dragging her to her Jeep. Miraculously, she managed to open the passenger door and settle Nicole inside, buckling her seatbelt before sprinting to the other side of the car and all but throwing the keys into the ignition. She’d heard of people exhibiting almost superhuman strength in times of great stress, but she had never really believed it until now. The engine sprang to life immediately, and Waverly tore out of the police station parking lot as she turned the heat on, mentally begging the car to warm up so Nicole wouldn’t freeze in just one layer of clothing. She reached over to take the officer’s hand in hers, squeezing gently. Nicole opened and closed her eyes very slowly, taking long, ragged breaths as she turned her head to look at her girlfriend.

“Waverlyyyyyyy…” The redhead was slurring her words, her voice barely above a whisper. “I can’t…” She went silent. Waverly only grasped her hand even harder, willing her to hold on for just fifteen minutes.

“Keep talking Nic, I need you to stay with me.” Waverly stole quick glances at the seat next to her, verifying that the Nicole’s eyes were still open. “Stay awake baby; don’t close your eyes, okay?”

“I’m…I’m scared… _I’m soooo tired_ …”

“No! Nicole? Listen to me. You _need_ to stay awake. Just hang on, we’re almost there. Just a few more minutes…” Waverly was breaking every speeding law known to man by at least twenty miles per hour, but she didn’t care. Nicole was bleeding out before her eyes. The redhead in question kept her focus on the girl next to her, gripping her hand a little tighter to try to get the brunette’s attention. She could feel her body starting to give in. There was one thing that had stayed in the forefront of Nicole’s mind while she had spent those several hours on the floor, and if she was going to broach the subject with Waverly, it was looking more and more likely that she needed to do it now.

“I know…what you said…” Waverly kept her eyes glued to the road, her knuckles white against the steering wheel.

“Said what, Nic?” She wasn’t really paying attention to the content of Nicole’s statement, just the sound of her voice. The brunette was so focused on the task at hand that she was just satisfied with the fact that the other girl was still talking.

“What you said…to Wynonna…at the station…” Nicole realized that Waverly wasn’t completely listening to her, and her vision was starting to blur again. She got all the energy she could muster and grasped the brunette’s hand, tugging slightly until Waverly turned her body towards her, still keeping the road in her line of sight. Every part of Nicole’s body felt heavy. She needed to get this out now. “You said…You said you loved me…”

Immediately, Waverly’s head snapped to the right to look at the officer, eyes wide, her face a mix of surprise and fear. She opened and closed her mouth a few times, trying to formulate a response, but no sound came out. Realizing that if she didn’t bring her attention back in front of her soon she was going to run them off the road, Waverly reluctantly turned away from Nicole to look straight ahead, still at a loss for words. She was struggling with how to explain herself when the hospital emerged over the horizon. Her heart leapt, and the brunette’s body once again went on autopilot, Nicole’s admission all but forgotten as her foot pressed harder on the accelerator. “Two more minutes Nic! Everything’s going to be fine, I promise. You’re going to be okay, you’re…” Waverly’s voice trailed off as she registered that Nicole’s hand had gone limp against her palm. She quickly looked over to find the redhead slumped to the side, eyes closed, her complexion white as a sheet. 

“No no no no _NO!_ Nicole Haught, don’t you do this to me! _Stay with me. Please._ ” Waverly pulled up to the emergency drop-off and threw herself out of the car, screaming for help. She burst through the automatic doors with purpose, startling the nurses at the front desk. One of them, a middle-aged blonde woman, came around to the other side of the counter, unable to understand the brunette’s rambling. She gently placed both hands on Waverly’s shoulders in an attempt to calm the girl.

“Okay sweetheart, slow down. What happened?” Waverly took a breath and quickly explained the situation, and the nurse immediately called for the ER staff. Three men emerged, rolling a gurney in between them, and followed Waverly and the nurse out to her car. One of them gently opened the passenger door and, seeing that Nicole was still unconscious, unbuckled her seat beat and lifted her up, laying her on the gurney with practiced ease. Watching the nurse strap Nicole to the flat surface, Waverly felt the rush of energy that had allowed her to be functional for the last thirty minutes leave her body. The redhead looked so small and lifeless, the only indication that she was still alive was the extremely shallow rise and fall of her chest. She looked so unlike the warm and confident Nicole she knew. The seriousness of the condition she was in suddenly became very real. This was actually happening, and the walls that had kept Waverly’s emotions in check finally came crashing down. The tears started to flow, her shaking hands placed over her mouth and her pounding heart. Another nurse from the front desk, brown-haired and younger than the one Waverly had initially spoken to, came out to see if additional assistance was needed. She noticed the brunette quickly breaking down into an inconsolable mess and went to her, wrapping a reassuring arm around the young girl as the blonde nurse wheeled Nicole back inside, the men around her checking vitals and placing an oxygen mask over the officer’s face. The group continued to work as they rushed through the double doors at the back of the ER lobby, and Waverly attempted to follow- until the other nurse held her back, pulling her into a tight embrace as she attempted to break free.

“No! I need to go with her!” Waverly grew frantic, desperately trying to pull away from the other woman. 

“Honey, you can’t go back there right now. You need to let the doctors work on her, and I need to get some information from you, okay?”

“I can’t leave her by herself! _Let go of me!_ ” Waverly sobbed as she continued to try to twist her way out of the nurse’s grasp, but the brown-haired woman only held her tighter.

“I know you’re scared, but the best way you can help her right now is to stay here and help me fill out her paperwork. Do you think you can do that for me?”

Waverly eventually realized that she was right. She stopped struggling and took several deep breaths, calming herself to the point that the other woman released her. “Oh-okay.” The brunette wiped the tears from her eyes, sniffling as she followed the nurse to the front desk. Amy, it seemed, since that was the name on her ID tag, grabbed a clipboard from the counter and lead Waverly to a pair of chairs up against the wall. Handing the smaller girl a box of tissues, she pulled a pen from the pocket of her scrub top and started to write. 

“Okay, Miss…?”

“Waverly,” the brunette wiped her eyes and nose. “Waverly Earp.”

Amy raised an eyebrow at the other girl’s surname, but left it at that. “Alright, Miss Earp-“

“Please, just call me Waverly.” After the past twenty four hours, the brunette couldn’t stand to hear her last name. It might not even be her real one. The four letters she used to bear proudly, despite her family’s history, now left a sour taste in her mouth.

“Okay, Waverly it is then,” the nurse said. “Patient name and date of birth?”

“Nicole Haught. February 12th, 1992.” 

“Occupation?”

“She’s a cop. Purgatory Sheriff Department, Station 62.”

“Okay. Description of injury/symptoms…GSW to the chest while wearing a vest, significant bruising, loss of consciousness, possible internal bleeding…” Amy looked up to confirm with Waverly that what she had heard her tell the other nurse was correct. The brunette nodded in agreement as she finished. “She must have tried real hard to get everyone that was poisoned under control. Most of them were out of their minds when they got here. Do you know which one of them shot her?”

Waverly was at first confused, but then relieved. Amy assumed that Nicole had been injured in the chaos following the party. She wasn’t going to have to come up with some bullshit reason for why the officer had taken a bullet to the chest at almost point blank range; the nurse had already done it for her. It’s wasn’t like she could tell the truth. Playing along, she shook her head no.

“Any allergies that you’re aware of?”

“No.” 

“Emergency contact?” 

Waverly paused. She had no idea who Nicole’s emergency contact would be. Anyone from Purgatory was unlikely, and the brunette had no way of getting in touch with her family. “I don’t know…just-just put me down.”

“Okay,” the nurse wrote down Waverly’s name and contact information. “And your relationship to Officer Haught? Friends? Coworkers?”

“She’s my…” Waverly’s voice faltered, her eyes started to fill with fresh tears as her gaze drifted to the double doors that lead to the ER. She looked back to Amy, unsure of what to say. What was Nicole to her? She was definitely her girlfriend, that much she knew, despite her blunder in the police station a few hours prior. However, Waverly had quickly realized in their short time together as a couple that the redhead meant so much more to her than that. Nicole was the first person to ever truly see her, to see _Waverly_ , not the girl scarred from family tragedy that was desperate to overcome what everyone else thought of her. She had told Wynonna that she loved Nicole, and the officer had apparently heard her, or at least read her lips, much to her horror. But had she meant it? The brunette legitimately didn’t know. Her head was telling her that she would’ve blurted out anything to get her sister to hand over Peacemaker to save Nicole’s life, but her heart was saying something else. In fact, if she was being completely honest with herself, it had been telling her the same thing ever since she spotted Nicole leaning up against that doorframe in Shorty’s, gripping her Stetson in her hands with all the swagger and confidence in the world. Waverly’s face crumpled as she answered Amy’s question with the most appropriate response that came to mind. “She’s…she’s _mine_.”

Realization dawned on the nurse’s face, her expression immediately softening as Waverly broke down once again into sobs. “Oh sweetheart…” She immediately put the clipboard and pen aside, she could fill out the rest on her own, and gathered the smaller girl up in her arms. “It’s going to be alright. She’s a fighter, I can tell.” She rubbed soothing patterns into Waverly’s back, stroking her hair until she eventually cried herself out. Amy drew back once she was satisfied that the brunette had calmed sufficiently, standing up to place the clipboard with Nicole’s information behind the front desk while Waverly wiped her eyes and composed herself. She returned and took Waverly’s hand to help her to her feet. “Come on, I’ll take you to a room where you can wait for the doctor.”

Amy lead Waverly through the doors to the ER and entered a room on her immediate right. It was obvious that the space, complete with a couch, comfortable-looking chairs, and magazines, had been set up as a waiting room for families to be away from the bustle of the lobby. She watched as the brunette crossed the room to sit on the couch, moving as if she was in a fog. The nurse went to sit beside her, placing her hand on the other girl’s knee. “Can I get anything for you? Food? Water?” Waverly shook her head no.

“I just want to be alone for a little while.”

“Alright. Well if you need anything at all, you know where to find me, okay?” Waverly nodded, looking up to Amy and giving her a small smile.

“Thank you. For everything.” The nurse gave the brunette a warm grin as she stood up and made to leave the room.

“You’re welcome. Dr. Lee will be in to give you an update soon.” Amy quietly shut the door behind her, leaving Waverly to her own thoughts. Once the door closed, the brunette let out a sigh, placing her head in her hands, not really sure what to do with herself. She pulled out her phone and went to her speed dial list. She hit the first number. As expected, Wynonna didn’t pick up. Neither did Dolls. Even Gus seemed to be caught up in some part of the crisis that was plaguing Purgatory to the point where she couldn’t answer her phone. Waverly’s thumb hovered over the most recent addition to her speed dial list. Knowing she wouldn’t get a response, she hit the call button anyway. The phone rang three times before the answering machine picked up.

_“Hi! You’ve reached Nicole. I can’t get to the phone right now but leave me a message and I’ll get back to ya as soon as I can! Have a great day!”_

Waverly hung up, only to call Nicole’s cell several times. She just wanted to hear the officer’s voice; it was a comfort. A comfort that she might not get to hear again. She placed her phone on the table in front of her, drawing in a shuddering breath. For the time being, she was completely alone. Waverly could only imagine what Wynonna was dealing with right now. There was a possibility that she might lose not just one, but both of her sisters today. Dolls was in some sort of serious trouble with Black Badge to the point that he was being treated like one of the monsters he was supposed to hunt down, and apparently, she knew absolutely nothing about who she was or where she came from. Everything was falling apart around her, and the only thing Waverly could do was sit here and wait. She reached forward to pick up her phone again and stared at her lock screen, running her thumb over the image. It was a pretty recent photo, taken only about a week ago. It was Nicole’s day off, and the couple had decided to get away from everything and go hiking. They’d picked a trail outside of Purgatory, and, at Waverly’s strategic request, outside the Ghost River Triangle. The two had made a day of it, packing lunches and spending their time exploring. The picture had been taken on their way back down to Waverly’s car, when Nicole had insisted on giving the brunette a piggyback ride the rest of the way. The redhead had stopped a fellow hiker and asked to him take a picture of them on her phone, and he’d taken several, one of which captured Waverly reaching to lift the bill of Nicole’s baseball cap so she could press a kiss the officer’s cheek as she grinned, laughing at the smaller girl’s antics. A ghost of a smile flitted across Waverly’s features as she recalled the memory. That day had been one of the first times in a long while that she had felt normal, that she had a life outside of her family’s curse. Nicole brought out the best things in her, some of which she hadn’t been aware of before. She couldn’t lose her. Not now. 

The door to the waiting room opened, and Waverly’s head shot up to see a tall man in a white coat enter the room and walk over to her. 

_That was quick_. Confused, the brunette looked down at her watch, her brow raising. It had been two and a half hours since Amy had left her. The man sat down in a chair next to her, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose and staring down at the clipboard in his hands.

“Waverly Earp?” Waverly nodded, looking at the man earnestly. “Ms. Earp, I’m Dr. Lee. I took care of Officer Haught when she was brought into the ER. As you know, she had severe bruising around the area where she had been shot, so we did a CT scan of her chest. It turns out that you were correct. Officer Haught suffered from massive internal bleeding caused by the impact of the bullet, and it lead to the development of a hemothorax that compressed her lungs, making it difficult for her to breathe.” All of the color drained from Waverly’s face as Dr. Lee explained. Noticing how tightly the brunette was gripping the armrest of the couch, he continued.

“But you found her just in time. Even though a lot of blood was present in her chest cavity, we were able to perform a thoracotomy, that is, an incision on her left side, and drain it while also stopping any new bleeding. We gave her a transfusion and put a chest tube in on the same side to ensure that all of the blood is gone.” The doctor placed his hand gently over Waverly’s forearm. “She’s out of surgery now, and she’s going to be just fine.”

Waverly nodded, letting out a sigh of relief as tears pricked at the corners of her eyes. “When can I see her?” she asked, her voice shaking slightly.

“She’s resting now, still coming out of anesthesia, but you can come sit with her if you’d like.” Dr. Lee stood up and walked out of the room, Waverly following close behind. He lead her down the hallway and into a wing labelled “Intensive Care”, stopping when he reached room 1270. “Here we are.” He turned the handle of the door, opening it for the brunette to step over the threshold. “She won’t wake up for another fifteen minutes or so, but you’re welcome to stay as long as you’d like.”

“Thank you.” Dr. Lee nodded, closing the door behind himself. Waverly turned to look at the hospital bed in the middle of the room. Nicole was sleeping peacefully, her hair a stark contrast to the white pillow underneath her head. While she was still a little paler than normal, the color was starting to return to her face. The officer was hooked up to an IV in her right hand, and a heart monitor beeped gently in the background. Her entire upper torso was wrapped in bandages, and Waverly could see where the chest tube poked out of her left side. The brunette walked up to the side of the bed, pulling up a chair and taking Nicole’s free hand in her own. She spent the next ten minutes or so in silence, looking over the redhead’s face, memorizing every detail. Nicole was okay. She was going to be okay. Waverly looked down at their joined hands, entwining her fingers with the officer’s.

“God Nic, you scared the shit out of me.”

“I know, baby…” The voice was small and raspy, but unmistakable. Waverly raised her head to find groggy, but soft chocolate brown eyes staring back at her. The brunette let out a short breath, the corners of her mouth turning up in a small smile as tears of relief and happiness began to track down her cheeks.

“What, is that your go-to line now?” she chuckled, her watery gaze locking onto the tired grin spreading across Nicole’s face, exposing the dimples she loved so much.

“Not sure yet, but it seems to have done me good so far.” Waverly laughed, a real laugh, as Nicole untangled their fingers and opened her arms, patting the open space next to her. “Come here.”

Waverly stood, walking around to the other side of the bed to avoid the officer’s incision and chest tube, and settled in the bed beside her. Mindful of the bandages and wires from various machines, Waverly maneuvered herself so that the redhead could somewhat wrap her arms around her and pull her to her side. The brunette placed her hand gently on Nicole’s chest, feeling the steady pulse of her heartbeat thrum under her palm as she tucked her head in the hollow between Nicole’s shoulder and neck, just under her chin. Even with the antiseptic smell of the hospital, she found the faint scent of vanilla and lavender tickling her nose.

“Nicole, I-“ 

“Shhhh. Not yet. I just want to lie here for a bit. You and me.” The officer was lazily drawing patterns on Waverly’s arm with her fingertips, shifting slightly so that she was facing more towards the brunette. Wincing from the movement, she noticed that Waverly was still crying. Nicole reached over to brush the tears away with her thumb, caressing the smaller girl’s cheek as she leaned into the touch. The redhead brought her hand down to Waverly’s chin, lifting her line of sight so that she made eye contact with her. Nicole just looked at the other girl for a few seconds before glancing down to her lips. She tried to lean forward, but intense pain shot up her sides and chest. With a sharp intake of breath, she paused, only to have Waverly take the hint and close the gap between them, enveloping the officer in a soft kiss. Nicole kissed her back gently as the brunette let out a soft sigh, content with losing herself in the contact, if only for a moment. They eventually broke apart, resuming their previous positions until Waverly’s breathing slowed to a steady rhythm, the exhaustion from everything that had happened finally catching up with her. Nicole held the smaller girl in her arms, cradling her into her good side as she felt her girlfriend’s weight begin to press more fully against her. And for the first time in over twenty-four hours, Waverly allowed herself to truly relax, her mind and body surrendering to the beckoning embrace of sleep.


	6. Recovery

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello friends. After a very long break from this story that can only be explained by two things that hit me like a freight train simultaneously (college and writer's block), I FINALLY had time to write the final chapter of this story.  
> Keep in mind, I wanted this to follow canon Season 1, except for the twist about Nicole, so this ends probably where you think it would.  
> Sorry for the wait and thanks for reading all my crazy musings!

Waverly drifted back into consciousness to the sound of Nicole speaking to someone. As the door to the room closed, she stirred, not thinking as she snuggled closer to the officer’s side. 

“Ow! Wave!” Nicole hissed in pain as the brunette put some of her weight on her chest. Waverly’s eyes snapped open and she quickly sat up, the last remnants of sleep leaving her as she realized what she’d done.

“Crap! I’m so sorry! Are you okay? Do I need to go get a nurse?” Her gaze scanned up and down the redhead’s body, looking for any indication that she might have broken her. Nicole just chuckled, amused at the smaller girl’s panic.

“Baby, I’m fine. Just a little bit sore, that’s all.” Waverly’s brow raised in disbelief. “Okay, maybe _really_ sore, but these drugs they’re giving me are _good_. I don’t think you’re gonna kill me just from doing that.”

Waverly relaxed, her initial alarm placated. She sat cross-legged on the bed facing Nicole, taking her hand and intertwining their fingers. “Who were you talking to just now?

“Dr. Lee. He basically filled me in on what happened and why there’s a freaking tube sticking out of me.” Nicole grinned at Waverly, who offered a small smile back to her in return. The redhead was happy to see that her efforts to bring some levity to the situation were working. “He told me you found me just in time. If we had gotten here literally ten minutes later…” The officer tightened her grip on the brunette’s hand. “You saved me, Wave. Thank you.” Waverly smiled, leaning over to kiss Nicole gently.

“You’re welcome. Just don’t _ever_ scare me like that again, okay?” Nicole raised an eyebrow at the other girl.

“You _do_ realize you’re dating a cop right? A cop who was just initiated into your top secret government agency thingy?” Waverly’s eyes went wide, her surprise evident.

“What?!?”

“You know that Doc told me everything- about the demons, Bobo Del Ray, how he’s the _real_ Doc Holliday…not that I didn’t see something like that coming. What you don’t know is that Dolls said I was a part of Black Badge now. _Agent Haught_.” Nicole laughed a little at her new title. She placed her hand on Waverly’s knee, looking up to a face that looked relieved. Relieved that she no longer had to shut off part of herself from Nicole. “You don’t have to keep secrets anymore Wave, at least not from me. We’re in this together. Speaking of, we still need to talk about what you-“

The officer was interrupted by Waverly’s cellphone vibrating violently next to her on the bedside table. Seeing the caller ID, the brunette threw herself off the bed to answer it, the nervous energy rolling off of her body palpable as the slid her thumb across the screen.

“Wynonna? It’s about time you- Doc? How did you even figure out how to use Wynonna’s phone?” Waverly paused for a moment, no doubt listening to the cowboy explain himself. Nicole kept her eyes trained on the brunette, looking for any reactions. It was very strange for Doc to call Waverly, especially since the man avoided technology like the plague. It was just as unusual for Wynonna to not have her phone. The last time she had seen the middle Earp, well over 24 hours ago, she had quickly exited the police station, hot on the heels of her older sister with Waverly in tow. They must have separated before Wynonna went after Willa, because Nicole knew that Waverly would have never left her to fend for herself with that big of a threat right in front of them. The girl in question was still listening, her face an unreadable mask as she clutched her phone to her ear. “Well, is she alright? Okay, I’ll be there as soon as I can.” Waverly hung up, taking a breath before looking at Nicole, who still had her eyes locked on her.

“What happened?” Waverly waved her question off, obviously not wanting to talk about it just yet.

“Wynonna’s fine- Physically, at least.” The brunette tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear. “She needs me, Nic.”

Nicole nodded, letting the other girl know she understood. “Go. I’m fine, and I won’t be getting out of here for a while. They’re coming to take the tube out later today, but apparently I had a ‘major procedure’, which means at least three more days or so for observation.” Waverly quickly gathered up her things, stopping briefly to press a quick kiss to Nicole’s cheek as she pulled on her coat. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow?” she asked.

“Tomorrow. You know where to find me.” Nicole watched as the brunette walked through the doorway and disappeared from view. Instantly, the officer felt empty, as if a part of her had left with her girlfriend. She found herself filled with the sudden urge to say something. “Waverly, wait!” she shouted after the smaller girl. A few seconds passed before Waverly’s head popped back around the doorframe.

“Are you okay? Do you need anything before I go?” she asked, looking slightly concerned.

“No I- I just…” Nicole’s thumb and forefinger worried the seam of the sheet covering her lower half as she struggled to figure out exactly what it was that she wanted to say. Her mind briefly flashed back to just over a day prior, when her gaze had been glued not to the barrel of the gun pointed at her chest, but to Waverly’s frightened, desperate eyes as she had plead for her life.

_Please…I love her._

The vision left as quickly as it came, and Nicole snapped out of her trance to find Waverly still at the door, waiting expectantly for her answer. The redhead didn’t want her to leave, even though she knew it was necessary. The conversation she wanted to have with Waverly dominated her thoughts, along with the constant replay of that moment at the station. The brunette might try to downplay what she had said, to brush it off as not completely true because her life had been at stake, because it was “too soon”, but to Nicole’s trained eye, her body language suggested otherwise. The image of Waverly as she uttered those words, on the verge of tears, voice shaking, hands gripping the front desk to keep her trembling body steady, holding on so hard that her knuckles had turned white, was seared into the officer’s mind. The brunette hadn’t been exaggerating, whether she knew it or not. What she _definitely_ didn’t know was that Nicole felt the same way, that those same words were on the tip of her tongue. That at this very moment, there was a war waging between her head and her heart, and she needed to make a decision. So she did, and logic won out.

“Sorry,” Nicole said, shaking her head to rid herself of the vivid memory that was now forever branded in her mind. “I just wanted to say…be careful, okay?”

Waverly smiled, her eyes crinkling as she quickly crossed the room, leaning forward to capture the officer’s lips in a soft, sweet kiss. “I will. I promise. I’ll see you tomorrow, Nic.” With that, the brunette turned on her heel and left, leaving Nicole to let out an exasperated sigh and collapse back into the pillows propping her up in bed.

She couldn’t bring herself to say those three little words back to Waverly, not yet. Regardless of both of their feelings, they needed to have a long talk about what had happened, where they stood, and where they were going before she would be completely ready, and it could wait. With everything about the Earp curse now out in the open, Waverly no longer had to hide the truth from Nicole. They could really move forward with their relationship, if that’s what she wanted, and if the officer’s instincts were correct, the brunette hoped for it just as much as she did. What was one more day?  
\-----------------------------------------------------------------------  
The next morning, Nicole woke to hushed voices coming from the corner of the room. Blinking furiously, she stretched her still heavy limbs, groaning as her body protested the movement. The voices went silent. The redhead looked to her left to find an Earp, but not the one she was expecting. Wynonna sat in the chair next to the bed, flanked by Doc. Nicole knew immediately that something was wrong. The older girl looked exhausted. Her clothes were wrinkled as if she had slept in them, and her eyes, complete with dark circles, had a haunted look that put Nicole on edge. Wynonna, realizing that the officer was now awake, confused, and looking to her for answers, opened and closed her mouth several times in an effort to explain, but no words came. 

“What’s wrong?” Nicole asked, unable to take the silence any longer. She looked to both Wynonna and Doc hoping someone would explain, scanning the room to confirm that the one person she had hoped to see when she woke up was in fact absent. “Wynonna, what’s going on? Where’s Waverly?”

At the mention of her sister’s name, the Heir reacted like she had been punched in the gut. Clearing her throat, she tried to speak, her voice trembling. “Waves…she ummm…” Wynonna refused to look at Nicole, and when she failed to answer yet again, Doc placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently as the older Earp resigned herself to remaining silent, a lone tear tracking down her face as she rested her chin in her hand and focused on the far wall. The cowboy looked to Nicole, sighing wearily.

“It seems, Miss Haught, that when it comes to Waverly Earp, we now have a problem of _enormous_ proportions.”

Nicole could have sworn her heart stopped. As she listened to Doc explain, a knot of anxiety formed in the pit of her stomach. While he spoke, the redhead couldn’t help but think about her thoughts the day before, about how she and Waverly finally had a fair chance, with all the time in the world to figure things out. How she had stopped herself from telling the brunette that whether or not she believed her admission at the station to be true, Nicole loved her too. There was always tomorrow.

Oh, how so very wrong she was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that's it! Comment if you so desire and (im)patiently wait for Season 2 with me!


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